Norges Bank's King Oscar II series was produced by Bradbury Wilkinson at a time when the London firm was consolidating its reputation as one of the most technically capable security printers in the world. The choice to use a British printer for Norwegian state currency reflected both practical limitations in domestic printing capacity and the broader Scandinavian banking habit of outsourcing high-denomination work to established foreign houses.
Christian Christie's involvement as designer is the detail worth noting here. Christie was a Norwegian artist who contributed to several official commissions during this period — his engagement on a Bradbury Wilkinson job suggests a deliberate effort to keep the iconographic content Norwegian even while the technical execution was foreign.
The "pattern" designation places this outside normal issued stock — likely a presentation or approval specimen retained by the printer or submitted to the bank for authorization.
Norges Bank's King Oscar II series was produced by Bradbury Wilkinson at a time when the London firm was consolidating its reputation as one of the most technically capable security printers in the world. The choice to use a British printer for Norwegian state currency reflected both practical limitations in domestic printing capacity and the broader Scandinavian banking habit of outsourcing high-denomination work to established foreign houses.
Christian Christie's involvement as designer is the detail worth noting here. Christie was a Norwegian artist who contributed to several official commissions during this period — his engagement on a Bradbury Wilkinson job suggests a deliberate effort to keep the iconographic content Norwegian even while the technical execution was foreign.
The "pattern" designation places this outside normal issued stock — likely a presentation or approval specimen retained by the printer or submitted to the bank for authorization.